Inorganic Materials Chemistry

Module code: CFS7016-B

Module Aims       

This module aims to:

Develop a systematic knowledge and understanding of inorganic materials.

Enable you to identify origins of different kinds of physical and chemical properties of different kinds of inorganic materials.

Apply characterisation techniques to analyse the morphology, structure, surface and properties of inorganic materials.

Provide you with knowledge to relate the inorganic materials and their technological applications in real life and R&D.

Develop skills to describe and communicate on advanced materials and their properties in scientifically correct and effective way.

Outline Syllabus   

Introduction to inorganic materials.

Synthesis of inorganic materials: The formation of bulk material; Chemical deposition.

Electrical properties of solids: Band theory; Defects; Electrical conductivity in ionic solids: Sodium and lithium ion conductors; d-block metal oxides; Applications.

Transparent conducting oxides and their applications in devices: Sn-doped In2O3 and F-doped SnO2; Dye sensitized solar cells; Solid state lighting; OLEDs & OLECs.

Superconductivity: Early examples and basic theory; High temperature superconductors; Applications.

Ceramics, silicates, carbides and nitrides: white pigments; high purity silicon for superconductor; boron nitride; silicon nitride & carbide; Perovskites.

Graphene and carbon nanotubes and their applications.

Porous materials and their applications: Zeolites and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).

Layered materials and their applications: Thin film; Self-assembled monolayers; Liquid crystals.

Characterization techniques for inorganic materials: Electron microscopy (SEM, TEM); Scanning probe microscopy; Solid state NMR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), BET surface area analysis.

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